History of Freemasonry in Grenada

Special Thanks To Wor.Bro. Courtney Abel DGOrator

The entry of craft freemasonry into Grenada is uncertain as there has been serious speculation, but inconclusive proof, that craft freemasonry may have been introduced by the French into the Windward Islands, in Grenada, while it was under their control prior to its capture by the British in 1763.

Such speculation has not, to this writer’s satisfaction, resulted in any such definitive conclusion. It is, however, incontrovertible that the British, via the Premier Grand Lodge, on the 1st May 1764, shortly after its recapture from the French, warranted lodge “La Sagesse St. Andrew” No. 347.

But speculation has also accompanied the warranting of this lodge by the suggestion that that the warrant was issued by the Grand Lodge of Scotland (or even the Grand Lodge of Philadelphia) but it seems clear to the present writer that the evidence points positively to the warrant having been issued by the Premier Grand Lodge.

There is also no doubt whatever that within Grenada, between 1769 and 1772, there was warranted not one, but three further lodges, in quick succession, after the warranting of La Sagesse St. Andrew.

Thus the second lodge to be formed in Grenada was to be the first in the Eastern Caribbean, outside of the Virgin Islands, to be warranted by the Antients. It was warranted on 1st November 1769 and located in the Parish of St George’s and numbered No. 163.

This lodge was also the first of a number of lodges in Grenada (some 3 at different times) to carry the same name, St. George, no doubt from its physical proximity to the town of St. Georges. Although this name was to have been officially adopted much later (in 1792) it was still later changed to “Mount Sinai Lodge” probably to avoid any confusion with the other lodge formed by the Antients in 1792 carrying the name St. Georges.

The third lodge formed in Grenada was warranted by the Premier Grand lodge on the 22nd January 1771 and was No 425 and called “Lodge of Vigilance” which lodge seemed to have worked until at the latest 1813 - when it was erased.

The fourth Lodge to be established in Grenada was warranted again by the Premier Grand Lodge, this time on the 2nd March 1772, and was called, “Lodge of Discretion” No. 426 but again this was erased in 1813.

It has been observed that also in 1772, the “67th Foot Regiment” which had obtained a warrant from the Antients (in fact a Military warrant was exchanged for a civil warrant on the 6th July 1772), was during this period “stationed at Fort Mathew, …..was in and out of Grenada with the Regiment for the next sixty seven years before it closed for the last time in 1807.

In fact, it would appear that this lodge continued to exist in different guises and incarnations and locations in England until 1887.

The name “Mount Olive Lodge” was adopted in 1799 and was later changed to “Lodge of Fortitude”, obtaining a Centenary Warrant on 31st July 1873.

In March 1792 two further lodges were warranted in Grenada, this time by the Antients: namely on 4th March and 7th March when respectively the “Forty-Fifth Regiment” No. 272 and “St. George’s Lodge” No. 271 were warranted. Apparently the former had an existence “for thirty-seven years while the latter for only two”, while the Antients’ “Lodge of Fortitude” (which had obtained its military warrant on 6th July 1772) is listed as working in Grenada from 1792.

The 27th December 1813 saw the historic coming together of the Antients and Moderns to form the United Grand Lodge of England following intricate and protracted negotiations.

The union, as part of the administrative tidying up process, involved the sorting out of much administrative details such as agreeing a single numbering of the two lists of Lodges and the erasures of lodges that had ceased to function. In this process of what turned out to be mass erasures the lodges in Grenada, including La Sagesse St. Andrew and Mount Sinai Lodge were erased, as clearly by this date such lodges had ceased to be functioning.

On the 5th November 1818 the Provisional Grand Lodge of Barbados reported to the Grand Lodge of Ireland that they had formed a lodge in Grenada under their warrant No. 6.

The Grand Lodge of Ireland, on the 4th November 1819, then verified the existence of this lodge when it confirmed that yet another lodge “St. George’s” this time No. 252, was warranted by them. This lodge St. George’s worked at least until 1826 when the last return was sent and its Warrant was sent in prior to 1858.

On the 5th May 1820, apparently, yet another lodge called “St. George” (possibly Numbered 289) was warranted, but this time by the Grand Lodge of Scotland. This lodge must have been meeting for many years before its official warrant as it is listed in Cossles Masonic Records as being No. 356 in 1809, No. 278 in 1816 and No. 289 (?) in 1821 before being reduced to No. 285 in 1828. It was ‘extinct’ by 1852. This would explain why it is stated as having entered Grenada in 1816.

It should also be noted that at Richmond Hill, in Grenada in 1821, a military lodge “Ninth Regiment of Foot” No. 183 is listed to have been stationed. This was a lodge of which its military warrant of 4th November 1773 issued to “Non-C. Officers of 9th Regt. of Foot”, Lisbon Portugal, had been on the 19th February 1803 transferred by the Antients and was subsequently erased on 1829. The 5 years between 1821 to 1827 years of formation of lodges within Grenada as no less than four lodges were formed while at the same time one military lodge appears to have been active and working there.

On the 7th March 1821 UGLE warranted “St. George’s Lodge” No 732 but this lodge was short-lived as the warrant was returned in August 1839. On the 5th May 1820 the lodge “St. George” No. 356 was warranted by the Grand Lodge of Scotland. It was, however extinct by 1852.

This was followed by the warranting on the 24th February 1825 of “Lodge of Harmony” again by UGLE, and again this was short lived as it was erased in 1845. On the 28th October 1826, apparently a Provincial Grand Lodge of Grenada (governing the lodges on the Island of Grenada as well as those in Tobago, St. Lucia and St. Vincent) was established by UGLE with Wor. Bro Gunn Munro as the Provincial Grand Master.

Also the Scottish lodge “Caledonian” No 395 was warranted on the 30th November 1827, and yet again this was short lived as it was erased in 1889.

Thus though the years 1821 to 1827 were intense for the formation of lodges in Grenada these lodges proved somewhat transient. The person credited with the revival of the craft in Grenada is Bro. George Gunn Munro who had arrived in Grenada in 1816.

It also appears that on the 14th March 1848 the Irish lodge “St. Patrick” No. 224 was consecrated in Grenada but it proved to be short lived as by 1856 it was defunct, although mention is made of it in 1874 when its last Master consecrated “Athol Place”, St. George’s, for Caledonia 324 and installed its officers.

In the years 1877 to 1880, the Grand Lodge of Scotland, warranted within Grenada on the 7th May 1877 Lodge “St. Andrew No. 603” and on the 5th February 1880 Lodge “St. George 650”. Both of these lodges proved short-lived as they cease to exist within a relatively short time as in the case of the former it was “extinct” by 1852 and in the case of the latter it was “dormant”, not to be revived, by 1896.

We now come to the oldest surviving lodge within Grenada, out of all the earlier and considerable masonic activity, namely Lodge St. George No. 3072.

This Lodge St. George was established by UGLE at La Molie House, St. George’s, in Grenada, on 2nd December 1904 and which Wor. Bro. J. C. McQueen, P.D.G.W., who had been initiated in 1893 in the Albion Lodge No. 196 (EC), and who performed the ceremony of consecration, is credited as not only setting the lodge in motion but also as having been a stalwart in masonry for many years; and responsible for the excellent ritualistic work which was performed in the lodge in its early days.

This, Lodge St. George, started small but by 1917 it had about 41 members and had required larger premises and accordingly moved at first to No. Hillsborough Street and then later to No. 1 Hillsborough Street which it purchased in 1917 – thus becoming the first lodge in Grenada to own its own building; and, apparently, also became the first lodge to be a corporate body.

A further first for this Lodge St. George was that it was the first lodge outside of Barbados to host the District Grand Lodge of Barbados (as our District then was called) when on the 4th December 1964 it attended there to mark the sixtieth Anniversary of this lodge and also to mark the 200th Anniversary of the introduction of Freemasonry into Grenada.

A further first for this Lodge St. George was that it was the first lodge outside of Barbados to host the District Grand Lodge of Barbados (as our District then was called) when on the 4th December 1964 it attended there to mark the sixtieth Anniversary of this lodge and also to mark the 200th Anniversary of the introduction of Freemasonry into Grenada.

In 2004 Lodge St. George No. 3072 celebrated its centenary but due to the passing of hurricane Ivan, which devastated the Island, it was not able to host the Communication of the District Grand Lodge of Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean (English Constitution).

On the 4th May 1921, a further lodge, called “St. Andrew” No. 4211, was established by UGLE and was consecrated at Victoria Street, Grenville, in Grenada. Unfortunately it became defunct ten years later and was struck off in 1947. Most of the records of this lodge are still with Lodge St. George as well as its chair and some of its “appointments” were donated to Abercrombie 2788 E.C in St. Lucia after it had lost all of its possessions in disastrous fires there.

The idea of forming Conception lodge No. 8346, the present host of this 313th Communication of the District Grand Lodge of Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean (English Constitution), was first mooted by PM’s of Lodge St. George 3072, but principally by Wor. Bros., E De Vere Archer, David George Otway PDDGM, and Basil Bayer. This lodge was eventually warranted by UGLE in 1970 and consecrated on 18th February 1971. The name “Conception” was chosen as it was the name which Christopher Columbus originally gave the Island of Grenada when he sighted it in 1492.

The original peculiarities of Conception (not using a dais and of using ‘tropicalised” attire) has been discontinued since its formative years.

It is the second oldest existing lodge within Grenada and the 12th oldest lodge within this District. We now come to the most recent craft lodge to be formed within Grenada, which is yet another lodge within Grenada to be called ‘Lodge St. Andrew’, and which was consecrated by the Grand Lodge of Scotland on the 6th February 1992 as Lodge St. Andrew No. 1794.

It is at present the only lodge within the Eastern Caribbean under the District Grand Lodge of Trinidad and Tobago (SC).

As can be seen from above, although Grenada may not have been among the earliest lodges within the Eastern Caribbean to have seen the light of craft masonry, but once such light illuminated the island, it thereafter became bustling with Masonic activity; and remains one of the leading and most active places for such activity.

Long may it Continue

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